Cathode design investigation based on iterative correction of predicted profile errors in electrochemical machining of compressor blades

Electrochemical machining (ECM) is an effective and economical manufacturing method for machining hard-to-cut metal materials that are often used in the aerospace field. Cathode design is very complicated in ECM and is a core problem influencing machining accuracy, especially for complex profiles such as compressor blades in aero engines. A new cathode design method based on iterative correction of predicted profile errors in blade ECM is proposed in this paper. A mathematical model is first built according to the ECM shaping law, and a simulation is then carried out using ANSYS software. A dynamic forming process is obtained and machining gap distributions at different stages are analyzed. Additionally, the simulation deviation between the prediction profile and model is improved by the new method through correcting the initial cathode profile. Furthermore, validation experiments are conducted using cathodes designed before and after the simulation correction. Machining accuracy for the optimal cathode is improved markedly compared with that for the initial cathode. The experimental results illustrate the suitability of the new method and that it can also be applied to other complex engine components such as diffusers.